


Enigmatic

by AshenMagic (SaeranLover)



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Affections disguised as dislike, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Injury, Recovery, Romance, potential sexual content later on, shdjdfkhfd fire emblem is a bit of a difference to my usual mystic messenger writing-
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-15 00:55:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14148390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaeranLover/pseuds/AshenMagic
Summary: They both annoyed each other, and they both had differing views on what would be best to prepare for the future.But the future becomes uncertain after an attack on the Shepherds' camp, with the tactician out of action and the knight getting too fixated on his emotions.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, uhhhh... I've been getting really into Fire Emblem recently, and... I kinda fell really in love with Frederick and Robin... hehe... I'm sorry if this is bad, it's my first time writing for this fandom in comparison to my way too many Mystic Messenger fics...

“You say that you don’t trust me, and that people should remain suspicious of me… Yet, you insist on training with me frequently, despite there being many other wholly capable sword and magic users within the army… Frederick, you are most definitely an enigma,” Robin stated, twirling her quill between her fingers as she tried to think of what else to jot down in the book set out before her. “Not to mention you request to do this training at inconvenient times… Can you _not_ see that I am attempting to work on this battle strategy for Chrom? There’s a good few skirmishes coming up, and we need to be prepared...”

“All the more reason to train, Robin. Battles are not merely strategy, for if the soldiers are _incapable_ -” Frederick suddenly stopped speaking when the atmosphere of the tent grew cold, with Robin scraping her seat back on the floor as she rose to her feet. Her makeshift desk shook slightly as her nails scraped across it, before she let out a loud scoff of disbelief.

The tactician then turned around, her face looking more than annoyed – she was well and truly angry. “Sir Frederick the Wary, are you saying that I am…  _incapable?_ Because need I remind you that I saved your backside in our previous battle, as you were being targetted by enemies exploiting your main weakness of magic?!”  Her hand stretched back, and rested upon a book on her desk. “A weakness which, if you continue to interrupt me, I shall make the most of? Perhaps I need to get some  _bear_ to eat as I use the magic too...”

_His face turned pale._

Following a slight gulp, Frederick made a huffing sound as he hastily retreated from the tent. Robin’s shoulders instantly fell in relief, before she sat back down and shook her head. “Hah… People say that he’s a tough nut to crack… Push the right buttons, and it’s very easy to tease him. I suppose it’s reasonable that I could figure out those buttons, being the Shepherds’ tactician, after all...”

As she returned to her work, Frederick was retreating to the outskirts of the camp with a face like stone. His lips were pursed together, his brow lowered, and his eyes narrowed. Those who were sensible enough stayed out of the knights way – those who were fools received glares.

He eventually reached a small grove of trees, and retrieved his lance as he shook his head. “That woman… She may be smart, but she is gods damn irritating!” He found himself stabbing his weapon into the closest tree, in a way of taking out his current frustrations. “Just _how_ milord and milady can stand her… I have no idea.”

Another attack, and another thought came into his head.

_What exactly would the Ylissean prince and princess think of his disdain towards the tactician? Their… friend?_

At first, they accepted that it was his wariness of a stranger… But now it had been months – perhaps even about a year – since she fell into their ranks. It couldn’t possibly his initial concerns now… There had to be a logical reason behind this dislike.

Frederick scowled as he thought about logical reasons, that was what she would always say when explaining her tactics in meetings… But there definitely had to be a reason behind it.

But…  _What could that reason even be?_

Before he could get too deep in thought, there was the sounds of a commotion occurring in the direction of the camp. There were only two reasons behind that sort of noise… One was that there had been an intense drinking competition, typically involving Sully and Vaike before dragging Chrom into it… _Chrom was very…_ _ **open**_ _when intoxicated…_ The other reason though… A risen attack.

Tightening his grasp of his lance, Frederick began to make his way towards where his comrades were, just for his worst fear to be confirmed.  _ The camp had been ambushed by Risen.  _ People were already injured, with healers such as Maribelle and Lissa doing their best to provide aid. From the edge of his line of sight, he could see an intense fight going on too…

Chrom was looking frustrated, throwing Falchion around and slashing at anything in his way. By his side was Cordelia and Lon’qu, so at least that reassured the knight that he was with capable warriors. Lissa was not so well protected, so he decided  to intercept any attacks intended for her and the wounded. 

As this was going on, Robin was starting to get annoyed at the noise outside her tent.  _ All that she wanted to do was work on her strategy for the upcoming battles against the Plegians!  _

The deep, guttural groan from the risen is what made her quill drop, and realise just what exactly was going on… There had been a risen attack, and nobody had even thought to seek her out! 

“Oh gods… Anyone could be hurt! Or the camp could end up ruined… And if that happens, what would even happen with my plans?! They would be for nothing!” She retrieved her tome and a spare sword which was leaning against a stack of books, before rushing out to assist in the battle. She almost shrieked at the sight of an axe-wielding risen turning its head 180 degrees to stare straight at her the second that she stepped outside, and so, she let out a large blast of electric magic before it could rotate the rest of its body. _That was the one thing that had always got to her about the risen…_

Robin then glanced around, and started thinking about where her comrades would be congregated as they fought… There were a variety of different places, but the sight of a pegasus emerging from between some tents in the distance, familiar red hair belonging to the person riding it, made her nod.  _ They had to be over there then…  _

Confidence began to flood through Robin’s body as she made her way towards the others, but she made sure not to get too confident, and to look out for potential areas in which the risen could cause devastating damage to the camp and its residents. A hint of red caught her attention once she was near to the other Shepherds though…  _ Risen possessing magic… But it hadn’t started attacking the tents to ruin them… And if it wasn’t doing that… _

“… They’re getting smarter… They’re looking for weaknesses… And that means that...” 

_ Frederick. He had to be nearby. Oh, or maybe Kellam… But most likely Frederick. Even risen tended to not notice Kellam’s presence at times. _

She began to run as fast as she could. When she saw her allies, they were teaming up and covering each other’s backs…  _ That was good.  _ However, she spotted the magic using enemy charging up an attack… Robin knew that she had to stop it when she noticed that it was more than just who she expected in the line of attack. It was Frederick… Lissa… Maribelle… Other injured people t o o, such as Sumia, Stahl, and Ricken…  But Frederick was the only one participating in combat… He was protecting them on his own-!

Before she could even realise what she was doing, she had started to run forward and found herself shouting. “Frederick! Look out!”

A sudden bright flash filled the air, and things seemed to move in slow motion. Robin had ended up in the way of the attack, much to the disbelief of everyone nearby. She had also just about been able to fire an attack of her own, and immobilised the risen thankfully. However, she went flying backwards, and crashed into Frederick, making her injuries worse than they had been from the attack alone due to his armour. Both of them went crashing into the ground, and Frederick was taken aback through shock. 

_ Had Robin just protected him from an attack? An attack which, as she had said earlier, exploited his main weakness in battle…? This woman was… Crazy… But also… she was in danger.  _

Robin’s breathing was shaking, and there were various deep red marks appearing over her body due to the brute force of the magic attack.  _ That would bruise soon enough…  _ “Ah… Y- You’re not… You’re not hurt, right…?” She wearily looked at Frederick, before  _ smiling  _ as her eyes closed. “G- Good… Protect… The others...”

“Robin…? Robin!” Frederick still couldn’t quite believe what the tactician had done, and now here she was, critically injured and unconscious against him! “Gods… Stupid woman, so reckless-!” _No. He shouldn’t get annoyed at a person who could potentially have just saved his life. He had to get her away from the battle, and allow the healers to tend to her._

Once Maribelle had noticed the state which Robin was in, she requested that Frederick bring her to the rest of the injured fighters so that she could be tended to. Upon knowing that the reckless woman was  being cared for, he retrieved his lance, and focussed in on the remaining enemies… 

_ Oh, they would pay.  _

_ They would pay  _ _**dearly** _ _ for their mistake of battling the Shepherds, and injuring the tactician to within an inch of her life... _


	2. The burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is a long waiting game to have the remaining wounds of Robin's tended to, with the healers busy for the time being... And with Frederick having to monitor her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh I'm so excited and haven't felt so hyped up to write in ages, thanks to the comments from last chapter! Here's the second one, as thanks!

Frederick was silent as he looked at Robin, lying in her bed in such a… such a horrifying state. The magic attack she intercepted was a fire one – meaning that she was afflicted with more than just cuts and bruises, but burns too. Lissa had been almost… distraught when she told him about a burn on her stomach which was likely to scar.

_ And to think… He would have been cooked alive in his armour if he had taken the attack. It was only fortunate that Robin possessed some magic resistance…  _

“Robin. You are a foolish woman… You know for a fact that you are of more value to the army than myself. It would be a sacrifice I would have been willing to take...” He clenched his fists, before shaking his head in frustration. _Soon he could get away from here… He just had to keep an eye on her until the healers had more time on their hands to care for her wounds._

He was dragged out of his thoughts by a sudden gasp for breath, and a loud coughing fit. Robin was doing her best to breathe, but her injuries were making it hard for her. What he never expected was for her to take a weak grasp of his arm, and use that as a way to support herself. 

_He… Had never realised that she was actually awake-!_

Robin then wheezed as she pressed her forehead to his wrist, and started coughing some more. “F- Fred… Frederick-! Ah- I… It h- hurts...” Then he realised that his sleeve was beginning to dampen… She was also crying.  _ Uh… wonderful…  _

Frustration and upset filled his body as he silently looked at the tactician, clinging to his arm and sobbing simply just so she could breathe and ease her pain. On one hand, he wanted to take all of that pain away from her… No ally of his should have to suffer as she currently was. Her role in the army was too important. But on the other hand… He was angry at the woman. She was reckless and foolish – she should never have acted so self-sacrificial.

_ His heart acted differently to his head though. _

“Robin...” He moved his other hand, and began gently moving his fingers through her hair. _His heart… It was screaming that she was a beautiful, intelligent, hard-working woman… She was as much of a staple to his life as protecting Chrom and Lissa… He wanted to keep her safe… He wanted to embrace her and put her at ease._ “The healers shall be here to check up on you soon. Put up with the pain for now.”

“Ea… Easy for you to say… You didn’t… get hurt...”

“But if I were hurt, I would already have joined the war’s fatalities. Being alive and in pain is much better than death.”

“I… don’t know about that...”

_ His insides twisted with her words. She would rather be dead than hurting?! _

“Cease with such talk immediately, tactician. You need to be living, and if it means forcing you to stay so, then that is what I shall do.” His words were harsh, but he personally believed that they were for the best.  _ She didn’t think  _ _ along those lines though... _

Robin fell silent except for her coughing, but her body remained trembling as she dug her fingers into his arm. What shocked Frederick though was that she started trying to laugh to herself. “Ah… That’s sweet, Frederick… I knew that you actually liked me… If you hated me as I thought you did… you would have just let me die...” Her words made him both uneasy, yet also surprised. For one, she had called him ‘sweet’. But also… She thought that he would allow her to die?

The duo remained in silence after that, barring the occasional raspy breath from Robin once she had lay down. Neither knew what to say, but they had to stay together for the time being under the orders of the Ylissean princess. The only time which Frederick could leave for the time being was if Robin suddenly took a turn for the worst before any healers could check up on her, after all.

A slight smile crept onto Robin’s face as she looked at the way in which Frederick was resting his head in his hands, appearing deep in thought. He seemed so much smaller than usual too, as his armour had been discarded somewhere… And at the same time, she wanted to pull him into an embrace to help ease the creases on his forehead. But… her body wasn’t allowing her to do much right now.

For that matter…

“Frederick… Why does my- my leg feel so heavy…?” Concern was laced through her voice, and was enough to drag the knight back to reality. “It’s sore… achy… and I can hardly move it...” He then looked at her apologetically, before standing up and pulling the thin sheets covering her away.

“You suffered from a severe fracture. It is heavily bandaged. See for yourself,” he stated plainly, offering her his hand to assist her in sitting up. All colour drained from her face at the right of her leg, before she started shaking. “Robin?” He glanced at her as she tightened her grasp of his hand, before she started sobbing loudly. “Robin-!”

He had to take a firm hold of her shoulders in order to look straight into her eyes, and couldn’t help but feel pained seeing the woman which he already owed so much to in tears. “I’m a burden, F- Frederick…!” She was gasping for breath as she cried, and Frederick could feel his heart racing as it made him feel just as upset too. _She… wasn’t a burden…_ “E- Emmeryn… she’s going to die and it will be… be all my fault...”

_Okay, now she was thinking the absolute worst of the situation… He had to deal with this before Lissa arrived, or else the princess would get upset too._

“Nonsense. You are magnificent, Robin. Ailed or not, you will be use your smarts to pull us through the worst of this war.” He then took hold of her face firmly, and ran his thumb across her slightly burned cheek. She winced slightly, before he pressed his forehead against hers. “You are perhaps the strongest woman in this army, and gods forbid, I will make you understand that.”

“Y- You’re just trying to get me to calm down, Mr Wary… You don’t even trust me much… You would never say something like that in any other situation...”

Frederick felt like growling slightly at her denial, but instead decided to do something else to get her to quieten down and begin listening to his words. He pressed their foreheads together, forcing her to look straight into his eyes. Even then… she seemed to struggle due to how glazed over her eyes were.

“You shouldn’t ever speak like that again, Robin...” He then pressed his lips against hers, and felt her entire body freeze up. Her eyes were wide and her face bright red. She then pushed him back, with her eyes wide as she stared at the entrance of the tent.

Frederick slowly moved away from her, before a voice came from behind him. “Oh… My… Gods...” Lissa was stood there with complete shock covering her face as she tried to take in what she had just witnessed. “Frederick… You just kissed… I- I’ve gotta tell Chrom!” The princess stepped back, and began to run. “Chrooooooom-! Frederick was just kissing Robin!”

Robin could only stare on in shock as Frederick tensed up, and began to pursue Lissa. “Milady! Stop this at once!”

Now that she was alone though, Robin fell back and began to stare up at the tent’s canvas. Her fingers slowly moved up to her lips, the warmth of Frederick’s still lingering behind. _She… just had her first kiss, from what she could remember… And it was from Frederick – the man with the least trust towards her… And… she felt terrible that she wanted – no,_ _ **craved**_ _more._

“Shit… do I like Frederick?”


	3. Reasoning

“Milady, stop right now-!” Frederick had caught up to Lissa, and frantically took hold of the princess’ arm. “You appear to have misunderstood the situation. Please stop going to inform your brother of what you witnessed.” His face was devoid of emotion as he stared at the giggling Lissa.

“Oh, really? Because I just saw you in there, your lips against Robin’s, with her face bright red! That’s _definitely_ a kiss, Frederick~”

“Believe me, I would never have done it if that woman took a moment to think, and not be so _stubborn_ and _reckless._ If somebody you held dislike towards was acting in a way which frustrated you, and continued to go on and _on_ about how they’ve ruined things, are going to end up having the Exalt die because of them, and are now a burden, you would do whatever you could to silence them, even if it means humiliation.”

Lissa stared at the knight, and a small frown formed on her face. “Frederick… I knew you didn’t exactly  _like_ Robin, but… that’s a whole new low… Trying to humiliate her, when she’s been working so hard to try and save Emm… She even saved  _you!_ ” Her voice was quiet and she even seemed hurt by the situation. “You seriously need to be nicer to her! Princess’ orders! I’m sure Chrom would say the same when I tell him what you did too!”

Frederick remained still and silent as Lissa continued to make her way to her brother, before presumably returning to Robin to investigate how her healing had gone so far. He then folded his arms and shook his head, a deep sigh escaping his lips. “She would only understand if she knew what I was doing on both hers and milord’s behalf...”

 

 

* * *

* * *

 

 

 

“Ow… Here are the strategies which I worked on before I got hurt, Chrom...” Robin had limped across her tent to grab hold of the open book on her desk, before sighing. “I’ll… I’ll try to work on them some more when I’ve recovered, and we’re closer to Gangrel...” Slowly she returned to where she had been lying previously, handing the prince the book in the process.

Chrom nodded, and began to look at the open pages to see if it made sense to him. He noticed how Robin seemed almost vacant in her attitude, so he began to make some small-talk to try and bring out the Robin which he knew. “So… Did Lissa come here earlier to look how you are? I heard that she was meant to do that...” Of course, Chrom had been made aware of the situation which had occurred between Robin and Frederick, in that Frederick did an action which completely flustered Robin just to get her to shut up about the possibility of Emmeryn dying… But left Robin feeling confused over his actions as she had no idea on how to go about reacting to it.

Robin nodded, and began slowly running her finger across the bandages on her wrist. She obviously was still too lost in thought to be able to communicate too well…  He had never seen the tactician like this once in the year in which she had been part of the Shepherds. He needed to find a way to cheer her up after what had happened earlier… 

_It didn’t take long for him to get an idea._

He tapped Robin’s shoulder, before giving her a sweet smile when she looked in his direction. “Say, Robin… We should celebrate after that skirmish before. We’re lucky to still have you with us, so I say it calls for a feast! Sumia could bake some of her delicious pies… And of course, we must have your favourite treat due to it being a celebration to do with you...”

In what was a huge relief to Chrom, some of the light returned to Robin’s eyes at his proposition. “Bear?”

“Yes… Bear. And I’m _sure_ that in return for saving his life, Frederick would _love_ to share some with you, Robin. No fuss or anything.” The pair exchanged a mischievous grin, before Chrom closed her book and passed it back over to her. “I’ll send somebody to get you when things are ready, partner.”

Robin finally started smiling through excitement as she lay back, and began thinking of the wonderful meal waiting ahead. There was no better way to invigorate the spirit than a nice portion of meat, a slice of a delicious pie, and a generous serving of _taunting the man who_ _intended to silence her through embarrassment._

Though, Robin knew that Frederick was not a cruel man, who would do that to just any woman… After all, would he make women such as Cordelia, Miriel, or even Panne with a kiss? _Nope._ There was something underlying in his actions, that perhaps even he was unaware of…

She then followed her thoughts with a yawn, and closed her eyes as she did her best to stretch out her somewhat numb leg. “Just a quick nap until somebody comes to get me… Nobody will mind… I’m sure of it...” She then fell into a light sleep, which in turn led to her book falling onto the floor. It had been _days_ since she had a proper amount of sleep, so she knew that the nap would definitely do her some good.

 

_Her dreams were filled with the thoughts of the battle previously being in reverse though. Where she had been protecting the injured… And Frederick intercepted the attack meant for her… Seeing the knight die on the ground beside her…_

_It was… painful._


	4. The meal

After sending Cordelia to go and retrieve Robin in order to bring her to the meal which had been organised, Chrom had taken it upon himself to find Frederick. Whilst everyone else in the Shepherds had been informed, he had made it blatantly clear that trouble would come of Frederick discovering – especially with the revelations which could occur over the presence of bear meat.

Thankfully, the prince knew exactly where he could find the knight: organising the convoy after the battle, despite the fact that it had already been given a once-over.  _Always a man of thoroughness…_

Upon reaching the convoy, his eyes instantly went to the sword which appeared to have been tended to the point of it appearing almost brand new… “You have an eye for detail, Frederick. I have to give you that – I’ve never seen it so...” He took hold of Falchion by the hilt, and swung it around in the air a few times. “Impeccable, and have movement so fluid...”

Frederick glanced up slightly at Chrom as he finished what he was doing with the lance in his hands, before rising to his feet. “It was my duty, milord. Your safety and ability to fight are my responsibilities. Without that, I am...” Frederick trailed off, unable to find the correct word to finish his sentence, but not willing to continue anyway. “But may I ask why you are here, milord?”

Chrom sheathed his weapon, before folding his arms and smiling. “We’ve organised a meal to celebrate our survival earlier – if we had lost, this war against Gangrel would have been finished before we could possibly save Emmeryn.” He then approached Frederick, and gestured for him to put the lance down and to follow him. “Come, friend. We couldn’t possibly start it without you. We’ve saved you somewhere to sit with myself, Lissa, and Robin.”

“Milord, I must insist that I-!”

“As you like to say when starting whole-camp training sessions… Attendance is compulsory.”

“… As you say.”

 

* * *

* * *

 

Robin was anxiously sat beside Lissa, who was making sure that she was comfortable at the same time as telling stories about stupid things her brother had done in the past – such as falling face-first onto the floor at the castle in Ylisstol, because he had ignored Emmeryn’s requests to be careful as the floors were being cleaned near his rooms. However… There was a forming anxiety in the pits of her body, through fear which had been instilled through her nightmares. 

As Cordelia had arrived at her tent to retrieve her, Robin had been screaming in her sleep for somebody not to die. The pegasus knight had assumed she was dreaming of Emmeryn, for that was the camp’s priority at present, but little did she know that it was really about the stoic retainer of the younger Ylissean royals.

The tactician was snapped out of her thoughts when she found a hand being frantically waved in front of her face. “Hey! Robin! Chrom and Frederick are here now, we can eat!” She glanced up and saw Lissa eagerly turning her attention from her to the food, before her eyes shifted towards the  tent entrance. Frederick did not look impressed at all, and that disdain on his face intensified the moment that they locked eyes.

_If anything, it was a relief for Robin to feel a twinge of pain from the burn on her stomach in order to get her to divert her eyes._

Chrom was quick to sit down beside Lissa, which meant that  Frederick had no choice but to sit down beside Robin… Something which, for the tactician, brought on both a spark of mischief and a feeling of deep sadness.

From the corner of her eye as she began to almost devour her meal, through the satisfaction of it being all of her favourite food, she had quickly become aware that Frederick was eating  anything  _but_ the bear meat… “It looks as though my attempts to train you in the art of eating bear has been a waste, Frederick. Honestly… What even was the point? I could’ve been working on strategies in those times instead...”

He did nothing but scoff. “I never participate in activities which are, as you say, ‘a waste’.  And… And I will prove it.” As Frederick braced himself, Chrom and Lissa were both trying to hold back a snicker at the unfolding events. As slowly as he could, Frederick took hold of a piece of bear meat, and took a deep breath as he brought it close to his lips.

T he longer that he took, the more eyes of members of the Shepherds fixated upon him. It got to a point where everybody (barring Stahl and a few others) had stopped eating and weren’t going to continue until the knight had finished eating.

Eventually, he closed his eyes and took a small nibble, which made Robin inch closer to him before leaning in to his ear. “By the way… It’s probably a bad idea to do your usual ‘hysterical’ act here as you eat, for one, you’ll end up the laughing stock of the camp – something that I honestly don’t want – and as well as that, I might have to do exactly what you did to me earlier… Kiss you so that you shut up. Please, Frederick…”

Robin’s words, as much as they weren’t exactly expected, spurred Frederick on into swallowing, and clenching his fist so that he wouldn’t shout out about dying or the like. As he did so, he thought on Robin’s words… She didn’t wish humiliation upon him, despite his attempt to do so to her?

_Perhaps… There’s something more in that tactician than he initially expected._


	5. Apologies

Night arrived, and the pain-relief which Robin previously had was starting to wear out. Her wrist was aching, her stomach felt blistering, and the fact that she was having to use a crutch to support her leg was almost hellish. Despite this, she insisted on strolling around the camp – being restricted to her tent was simply not how she was going to use her time. The strategies, thankfully, were ready by now, so she could afford some wondering around.

Plegia was deathly cold at night, but for some bizarre reason, she felt accustomed to it. _Could she have lived there at some point before losing her memory? Only the Gods could know…_ The cold also brought out the deep relief that other than the Feroxi combatants and the very few Plegians in the army’s ranks, she would be almost alone during her stroll.

A loud cough from behind her disturbed her peace.

“May I ask, Robin, as to why you are wondering the camp despite your injuries?” And _of course,_ it was the _lone_ Ylissean who would dare to venture out in the icy temperatures who had spoke. “Not that it concerns me, as I was about to seek you out anyway, but I feel it appropriate to inquire.”

Following a somewhat tense wince on her face as she attempted to turn around, Robin looked directly into Frederick’s eyes and raised an eyebrow. “I needed to distract myself… These injuries are agitating, and now that the slight commotion from before is over, my mind is going all over the place. Or is that enough to make your suspicions of and frustration towards me intensify?”

“… No. It does not. As a matter of fact, I understand your situation entirely. Come times such as these, keeping occupied is perhaps for the best.” Frederick steadily moved closer to Robin, before folding his arms over. “However, as I said previously, I wished to seek you out. I would appreciate it if you would be able to speak to me in somewhere providing privacy, which would be my tent. Already I have brewed us a drink of tea, as I would like to make amends over a drink for my uncouth behaviour previously.”

Confusion filled Robin’s mind, but she simply nodded and went along with the knight. _He seemed genuine with what he was saying, so… It would be worth humouring him, right?_

The tactician was taken aback at the gentle aroma of some form of herbal tea wafting through the air once they reached his tent, and it made a smile form on her face. _He really was making the effort to apologise…_ Silently he ushered her in, before requesting that she take a seat at the table which had been set up in there.

Once he had sat opposite to her, he then sighed quietly and began to speak. “I shall pour the tea in a minute… But for now, I wish to sincerely apologise for… that kiss from earlier. It was completely inappropriate, and perhaps not the ideal way in which to calm you down-”

“Though I should apologise for that too… I should have dealt with my worries in a way which didn’t get to you… You probably wouldn’t have done that if I had never mentioned Lady Emmeryn, as… As I know that for many years you have served both her, Chrom, and Lissa… She’s important to you, much more important than me.” Robin felt it necessary to provide an apology on her side too, and had to cut him off before she had no chance to speak whatsoever.

Frederick carefully looked at the way in which her face was tensing slightly, presumably through the pain she was in, before nodding. “So we both possess blame… But I feel as though I should compensate for my behaviour. It was only when you spoke of the way in which I was acting with the… bear meat… was so similar to how you had acted that I realised that I had done you a great misdeed. And… That you are perhaps one of the most genuine members of the army. More than that mercenary and manakete which joined recently, and the same with that unruly thief who believes it to be appropriate to give nicknames to his prince and princess...” He trailed off, before folding his arms once more and closing his eyes. “Put simply… I must apologise for my behaviour, and… I trust you, Robin. As a friend, ally, and tactician. My life is yours to guide.”

_Now that… came as a shock to her._

_Having Frederick the Wary confess his **trust** in her… _

She gave him a wide-eyed stare for a few moments, before slowly reaching her hand across the table to loosen one of his from his statue-like position, and gave it a slight squeeze. “Don’t keep apologising, Freddy Bear. I understand… I trust you too. It’s why I felt it was necessary to protect you from that attack...”

Silence filled the tent for a long moment as Robin kept hold of Frederick’s hand, their breathing being the only noise present. Frederick eventually freed his hand, and poured them both a drink of the tea which was starting to cool rapidly. 

Neither of them really wished to talk, as they were both relishing the peaceful atmosphere of the tent. Robin was thinking about how open Frederick had been, and how after a year of being fighting alongside each other, he was able to simply just approach her and explain. Frederick, on the other hand, was looking over Robin slowly, taking in small details of her which he had never noticed before that point. She may act, as Chrom had said previously, somewhat unladylike, but the way in which she held her cup was so delicate… And the lack of her coat and boots made her injuries become more visible. He could even see how the wound on her wrist had left a gruesome yet mesmerising looking scar, which she would eventually possess merely as a memory of the war…

And speaking of memories…

“… When this is over, you would only know of war. I can imagine such a thing being rather inconvenient as we adjust to normal life, Robin.”

She nodded, and silently whispered a response. “I’m scared that I’ll be on my own again once this is over… I’m only around here because of my talent with tactics, after all.”

“Perish the thought… I shall not allow you to be on your own, Robin. Milord and milady enjoy your presence, and believe it or not, as do I. And I do not wish for you to be left on your own with nothing but memories of horrific times. I would even take it upon myself to provide you with memories in a peaceful time, as an apolo-”

“Say apology one more time, Frederick, and I’ll kiss you to get you to shut up. I seriously will.”

_ Now that was a challenge, if any… _

“Apology.”

Robin huffed then, before reaching out across the table and taking hold of Frederick’s neck tie, and pulling him closer to her. “This is your fault...” She then placed her hand on the table as she pressed her lips against his, feeling the presence of a slight smirk on his face. 

Unlike that time where he kissed her to make her quieten down, this felt… more genuine. More involved. As though it was something which both of them wanted… It felt even more personal when Frederick eventually shifted the table across slightly, and pulled Robin up to her feet. Despite her limp, this felt… comfortable.

When the two finally separated, their faces were both flushed as they stared at each other, before Frederick simply sighed. “ Well after that, I cannot allow you to return to your tent… Those on the night patrol may believe that you have a fever, if they saw the state which you are currently in…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh, hellooo there~  
> Just thought I should appear here to speak for a moment...  
> Basically, I feel it necessary to point out a few things here. One is that I haven't played Fire Emblem Awakening too much by this point, meaning that if I haven't got the characters too well at present, I'll be working on that as I play it more! My head is still kinda wired to Mystic Messenger at the moment, after all...  
> Also, I write rather... spontaneously and irregularly. Updates could be anything from hours or weeks apart, and I tend to kinda just... go with the flow with ideas....;;;


	6. Helplessness, awkwardness, drunkenness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for an eventual awkward confession, and... Tharja.

Despite the injuries possessed by their tactician, the Ylissean troops advanced come the break of daylight. If any time was best to rescue the exalt, now would be best. Of course, it was all carried out under Robin’s advice, Chrom’s orders, and Frederick’s organisation, meaning that they knew that they were going to be ready to face the mad king of Plegia. 

To some, it was a huge relief to witness the large skeleton guarding the Plegian capital, whereas for others, fear went flooding through their bodies. Robin was one of the people who felt rather… calm. “… I can’t help but feel as though I’ve seen this before...” She muttered as she was given the chance to stand on the ground, seeming as she had been travelling alongside Sumia and her pegasus to take strain off her wounds. 

Chrom stopped his advances, and stared at his friend with wide eyes. “It seems familiar? Maybe, once we’ve saved Emm… the key to regaining your memories could be hidden somewhere there...”

“Hmm, I honestly doubt it though… I would rather remain unsure. Not that I mind, every day I’m making new, enjoyable memories with you and everyone else...” She trailed off as she then noticed movement in the corner of her eyes, so she turned her head and gasped. “But I’m not the situation at hand… We have a _serious_ problem… Gangrel is over there, and it looks as though he wants to kill Emmeryn!”

Everyone turned to face the direction in which the tactician was facing, and so, following a failed attempt at democracy… a battle ensued. Robin couldn’t help but feel completely useless though, as her injuries meant that she couldn’t hold tome nor sword, rendering her a burden on the battlefield. Despite that… She did her best to get as close to the action as she could, simply for the sake of assisting those who got lost or confused. 

_ She wasn’t expecting to suddenly find herself face-to-face with a Plegian mage. _

“Ah… You’re with the Ylisseans, aren’t you…?” Robin tried to move back, but the cast on her leg led to her tumbling down onto the ground. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you… I feel very curious about you, that’s all… I kept noticing one of those knights looking back at you constantly, and I wanted to know who you were…”

One word ran through Robin’s head over and over.  _ Creepy.  _

“I’m Tharja by the way… Now… I think something is happened over there, it’s probably best for you to go to your prince, Robin~”

_ And how Tharja knew her name was even creepier.  _

_ But she was right… Something  **was** happening…  _

  


* * *

* * *

 

  


Rain cascaded down around the army, a heaviness in the air making the situation feel even worse than it already was. 

_ The Ylissean Exalt was dead. The Plegian army was still after them. Chrom, the leader and inspiration from the army, was without heart or dedication. Nobody knew if they were going to reach Ferox alive. _

In order to spur on the push to Feroxi soil, Frederick knew that if Chrom was unable to rally the troops, the duty would have to be passed on to Lissa or Robin. Lissa, however, was remaining by her brother’s side as they both fought and grieved for their lost sister. That meant… He had to turn to Robin.  She was doing her best to keep up with everyone considering her injuries.

With a frown forming on his face, he slowed his horse down so that she could catch up to him, before holding out his hand for her. “Come on. We need your help in providing the army with motivation to continue. If our prince and princess are incapable, people will be turning to their tactician.” She looked up at him with wide eyes, but silently nodded as she accepted his hand and assistance in sitting on his steed. 

“… Frederick… Was it my fault that the exalt died…? Were my injuries… too much of a burden?”

“No. The blame is upon no Shepherd or our allies, but King Gangrel and the witch by his side who summoned the risen. I have no doubt she was likely the one who caused your injury a few days back too. We need to let everyone know this though, or else there shall be no heart to avenge Lady Emmeryn’s death… No way for Ylisse to survive another war.”

Robin slowly nodded in acceptance of his words, before taking a deep breath. “Then let’s rally the troops… Let’s gather our strength, and bring the mad king down! Let him know that nobody messes with Ylisse!”

Frederick felt almost flustered with Robin’s sudden rush of optimism, and those around him also picked up on her new attitude. Now, if their  _ injured  _ tactician was still feeling willing to fight, surely it would be  _ just  _ the push those who were still capable needed.

 

 

* * *

* * *

 

 

With a renewed attitude, the army were able to reach the border between Plegia and Ferox by the following nightfall, in time to provide them with a much-needed brief recuperation. Drinks were shared between comrades to get their mind off things, and a hearty meal to restore their energy.

Robin, however, had decided to retreat to the room she had been granted in the Feroxi barracks, and was sat by the window staring outside as she mulled over the current situation. She didn’t feel ready to socialise with the others just yet… 

Her silence was disturbed by a loud knock on the door, so she grabbed her crutch and pulled herself over to it in order to see who was wanting to speak with her. Now, she had been expecting Chrom or Lissa seeking a shoulder to let out their tears and worries over… But her eyes widened at the sight of Frederick, not donning his typical armour. For that matter, he seemed somewhat…  _ laid back? _

“Good evening, Robin… I felt the need to escape from the drunken antics of the others to somewhere sane… Milord was begging for me to drink whatever had… intoxicated him…” _Ah._ ”May I spend some time with you for now?”

“Um… Sure, I’m not doing much, but I suppose that company would be okay… Take a seat, if you want...” She stepped back from the door, before staggering over to the bed and falling back onto it. “I can’t wait for these injuries to heal… Not being able to walk properly I can cope with, but being unable to assist due to the burn on my stomach and the pain in my arm is annoying...”

“Perhaps I could lend a hand in providing you with a distraction, Lady Robin.” She was taken aback at the sudden title she seemed to have gained, but was provided with even more of a surprise as he took a seat beside her, and started gently running his fingers over the bandage on her wrist. “… I would enjoy being able to spend more time with you, my lady. Despite my intial distrust towards you, I’ve been surprised at how much I have taken to wanting – perhaps even _needing –_ your presence… I’ve been thinking of what happened when I kissed you to silence you too… Perhaps that was my heart’s way of saying to cease with my stern attitude towards you.”

Robin giggled slightly, and ruffled his hair with her free hand. “Well I should perhaps say something too… I enjoyed that kiss,  and knew from that moment I actually cared for you as a man, and not just as a soldier in the army.”

“So… I assume that we are both feeling the same?”

“Yes, Frederick… I guess that we do. Did we not determine that with the other night’s kisses in order to stop you from apologising?”

“Perhaps… I just wished to be certain, Robin, before we did anything too… rash.”

 

 

* * *

* * *

 

 

An hour had passed since Chrom had accidentally sent Frederick away with a huff over his refusal to have a drink. He was thinking a bit clearer now, as Maribelle had stopped him from drinking any more, and made him down water and tea instead.

The prince believed it would be best to apologise to Frederick over previously, as it would not do well having a difficulty with his best lieutenant in the army. For that matter… He was also getting curious on as to where Robin had gone off to. He was simply just roaming the halls and opening doors, hoping to bump into one or the other, and perhaps even both.

Eventually though, he was met with a disgusted looking Tharja who was prowling around near the end of the hall leading to Robin’s room. “Don’t even bother going to speak to her… She’s  _ occupied  _ with that knight...” Tharja then grumbled some more, before a look of inspiration filled her face. “Perhaps I could curse him so that he can’t- hehehe… But I won’t… this time...”

_ Chrom felt sick.  _

_ Had to be the alcohol… And the message over what was happening down that hall… _

_... _

_ No, definitely the drink- _


End file.
